The interface between biology and chemistry is an important and rapidly expanding area of science. The understanding of many biological events is being extended to a molecular level, and chemists, with their insight into chemical reactivity and structure, can play an important role in this new molecular science. With my background in synthetic organic chemistry I bring a very important tool to the study of molecular biological systems: the ability to design and prepare new materials and substances. In this proposal my research group will prepare and study new amphophilic molecules to learn about the structural requirements for ion channel formation and self-assembly in membranes. Our long term plans include further studies on the role of hydrogen bonding networks in the self- assembly process, studies on the interaction of natural products with their biological targets, and the development of new synthetic methods and strategies to support these projects.